Rutgers freshman Mohamed Sanu is a playmaker on offense

Mohamed Sanu came to Rutgers as a safety but will play receiver and Wildcat QB in the St. Pete Bowl

December 17, 2009|By Chris Harry, Orlando Sentinel

ST. PETERSBURG -- Last spring, spring Rutgers coaches had true freshman Mohamed Sanu lining up at safety for the first 12 practices of offseason workouts.

It wasn't until Coach Greg Schiano and his staff talked about the lack of playmakers on offense that a decision was made to move the 6-foot-2, 215-pounder to wide receiver.

"That's my genius, right?" Schiano said.

Schiano wasn't boasting, but rather mocking himself. Turns out Sanu was an even greater playmaker than the Scarlet Knights ever imagined.

Not only did the kid catch 47 passes for 542 yards and two touchdowns in his first collegiate season, Rutgers found a niche for the South Brunswick, N.J., product in the Scarlet Knights' version of the Wildcat offense. Sanu ran 49 times for 305 yards -- 6.2 per carry -- and scored three times.

UCF will have to account for Sanu come Saturday night.

"We think Mohamed earned that right" to be featured in the offense," Schiano said of the rookie with nearly 1,000 yards of offense. "As a receiver, defenses can do things to take you out of the game. By putting him in the Wildcat, we know he's getting the touches. We need the ball in his hands 15 to 20 times a game."

Home and away

The crowd figures to be heavy in favor of the homestate Knights, but Schiano said in a closed-atmosphere like Tropicana Field that can work to his team's advantage on at least one side of the ball.

"When we have the ball, it's going to be loud," Schiano said. "One of the benefits of being [the road team] is that defensively you get quiet. They're not going to drown out their own offense, so you can communicate. Sometimes, I'll be screaming from the sidelines and they don't move a muscle."

Etc.

Rutgers joined UCF in the bowl's Beach Bash Thursday afternoon on Treasure Island. Those Jersey boys had better packed a lot of sun screen. … The Knights seniors _ starting with C Ryan Blaszczyk, LB Ryan D'Imperio and CB Devin McCourty -- were carried off the field following Thursday's practice, the last of their careers. It's a Schiano tradition. "It was very emotional, realizing it's almost all over," Blaszczyk said. ... Schiano and his players will get their first look at the Trop from the inside during today's walk-through. "Some say it's different because of the lighting," he said. "So we'll have a little throw-around."